A Southwest Airlines pilot was removed from the cockpit ahead of a Wednesday flight from Georgia to Chicago and was booked on a charge of driving under the influence, a source familiar with the incident told CBS News.
David Paul Allsop allegedly smelled of alcohol and may have shown other signs of intoxication, the source said. Airport police in Savannah removed him before flight 3772 to Chicago’s Midway Airport took off.
“The Employee has been removed from duty,” a Southwest Airlines spokesperson said. “Customers were accommodated on other flights and we apologize for the disruption to their travel plans. There’s nothing more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Employees and Customers.”
Allsop’s bail was set at $3,500, according to jail records, which also indicated he has been released on bond.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, airline employees are “removed from performing [safety-sensitive functions] if their breath alcohol concentration registers 0.04 or greater on a required alcohol test, or if they otherwise use alcohol in violation of the rule. They are also temporarily removed from the performance of these functions if their breath alcohol concentration registers between 0.02 – 0.039 on a required alcohol test.”
Officials have not released information regarding Allsop’s breath or blood alcohol concentration.
Pilots are also prohibited from consuming alcohol within eight hours of flying under FAA rules, although the FAA says the more conservative approach is to wait 24 hours from the last use of alcohol before flying.
“Any factor that impairs the pilot’s ability to perform the required tasks during the operation of an aircraft is an invitation for disaster,” according to the FAA. “The use of alcohol is a significant self-imposed stress factor that should be eliminated from the cockpit. The ability to do so is strictly within the pilot’s control.”
The FAA also requires random alcohol testing for pilots each year. CBS News has reached out to the FAA for additional information on the testing.
Last year, a Delta pilot who showed up drunk before a flight was sentenced to 10 months in jail by a Scottish court.
Aliza Chasan is a Digital Content Producer for “60 Minutes” and CBSNews.com. She has previously written for outlets including PIX11 News, The New York Daily News, Inside Edition and DNAinfo. Aliza covers trending news, often focusing on crime and politics.
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